Straight Shooter
by itswallie
Summary: YJ Challenge Prompt: College AU with Roy instructing an archery class. When track star Wally tries and fails, Roy offers a hand... RoyxWally
1. Pull Back

**Title:** Straight Shooter

**Prompt:** College AU with Roy instructing an archery class. When track star Wally tries and fails in the class, Roy offers a hand.

**Pairing:** Wally/Roy

**Notes**: So my first stab at Roy/Wally (yes, _Roy_, be warned Birdflashers. Dick does show up, though); this is basically my love letter to Lyricalentropy. :)

* * *

><p>Wally was pretty sure that the bright-yellow <em>Outrunning Cancer<em> marathon t-shirt was his biggest regret. No, the redhead amended: it had to be the tiny red track shorts from junior varsity sophomore year back in Central City High School. Because when he opted to scramble straight up some boulders as a "shortcut" to the university archery field, they _pinched_.

But really his biggest regret _should _have been that he'd stumbled out of bed fifteen minutes late at 6:20 am that morning, and these were the only clean clothes he could find. Everything else had been dragged out during the first couple weeks of track training. Now that school had actually started, all of it sat on his desk chair or littered his floor up until a very clear boundary line that his roommate Dick had established between the two halves of their dorm room.

Regardless, as Wally streaked across campus as 6:37 am, it looked like the condiment section of the dining hall had gone out for a sprint. His Chucks (also an unfortunate shade of yellow) were getting soaked in the damp morning grass and - _dammit_, his socks didn't match. A blue and a yellow stripe wound around the top of one of the calf-high socks - green and red the other.

He really had to get Dick to buy them an alarm clock that worked. Preferably one that read his schedule so that he never had to set it. That is to say, since Dick never slept, he often (_usually_) performed that function, but the room had been empty that morning. This meant that Dick had actually gone to class (_ha!_) or had wound up having deep and meaningful conversation with some hot blonde in the girl's hall - and was probably still doing so.

Anyway, when Wally broke through the copse of trees onto the archery field, the other students were already lined up in front of the targets, bows and arrows in hand.

"Uhm," Wally hesitated, searching for a teacher. No one particularly stood out, but one guy, a tall redhead in shades, stood off to the side, calmly watching the other students and looking not-busy. He jogged over.

"Hey," he casually addressed the taller man. "Have you seen the teacher, er, Mr. Queen or something? Around? I'm kind of -"

"You're late," the redhead informed him dryly. He lifted a clipboard from his side that Wally hadn't noticed and ran down a list of names.

"Wallace West?"

"Yeah, I go by Wal-"

"You missed the first class, West," he commented as he flipped through the papers. "Do you have a doctor's note?"

"Uh, no - but, track was ..."

Roy shook his head. "Sorry. No doctor's note, no excused absence."

"But …" Sure, he'd slept through class, but wasn't his _fault_, really. Coach Lance had worked the track team extra hard, so he was super tired the next morning - and he'd been up all night getting Dutch lessons from Megan, the transfer student down the hall. How often do you get to learn Dutch and -?

"... er Mr. Queen-"

"I'm not Professor Queen. I'm the assistant instructor, Roy Harper. If you don't have your note, you've lost your one unexcused absence. If you miss another class without a fever of 101, then you're going to get an unsatisfactory," he said cooly.

"Uh ..." Wally faltered under the instructor's steady gaze.

"Ok, so go ahead and grab equipment from the storage shed over there and use target #3." He gestured toward a small structure on the other side of the field before returning to the clipboard to take notes.

"Uh, right."

Wally wandered back toward the equiment hut. _Wow, not even a sarcastic 'Nice of you to join us'_? The guy hadn't seemed even really seemed annoyed, just … down to business. Or more … totally unreadable. Behind those sunglasses. Wally shivered. He hated that.

The shed was maybe 20 x 20: a few lockers, racks with several different styles and sizes of bows, and bins filled with half-a-dozen different kinds of arrows. Strange pieces of archery … clothing hung on the walls. He wasn't even sure where he'd put them if he wore them.

_Shit._

Ok, so maybe his biggest regret was that he had ditched the first class.

Sighing, Wally grabbed the nearest bow and seven or so arrows and headed toward the range. Luckily, only one target - hopefully #3 - was open, and he took the empty spot between someone who was obviously a freshman and a blonde chick in a green shirt. Huh, the girl looked at least half-Asian and pretty hot - _did she dye her hair_?

Wally subtly peeked at the two archers on either side of him, trying to figure out what to do. However, they both had really fancy bows with extra strings and bells and whistles; his looked like it was straight out of a Robin Hood movie. He frowned. Well, this couldn't be that hard. Just pull back and let go, right?

He dropped all but one arrow on the ground, and, mimicking the posture of the girl, notched the arrow to the string and pulled back. The string was surprisingly stiff, and it stung the tips of his fingers and snapped his forearm when he let go.

"Ow," he hissed as quietly as he could.

The arrow embedded itself in the ground maybe four feet away. The blonde raised an eyebrow.

Wally glared at her and tried again. He pointed the bow higher, and so it flew a little farther ... but when string popped it flew into target #4's alley. _Great_. Red crawled up his cheeks.

"Psst, genius, I think you've got the wrong bow." She smirked as she notched her next arrow.

"Well, how was I supposed to know that?" Wally growled back. He didn't like her tone.

"Hey, Roy!" she called in the direction of the red-shirted instructor as she drew. "I think Colonel Mustard over here" - _release, thwack, bulls-eye_- "needs some help!"

"Don't call me that!" Wally hissed again.

_Ok, yellow shirt?_ Top of the regret list again.

Roy calmly walked over and eyed Wally. "How tall are you?"

"Uh, about 5' 9"?"

"Draw the bow, West."

Wally frowned and pulled on the string until his right arm was shaking. Roy hmm'd, and the girl looked like she was going to giggle.

"Your bow's too long," Roy informed him. "And the string's too stiff."

Wally snorted and automatically joked: "That's not what your mom said la- …"

He trailed off at the redhead's flat expression and the blonde's sniggers. _Dignity destroyed_. His cheeks were almost as red as his hair now.

Roy sighed and took Wally's bow. "Follow me."

He dragged Wally back over to the equipment and handed him a shorter bow. "This should be more your speed. Take some arrows of the correct length, and you can go back to the target."

Wally swallowed.

Roy raised an eyebrow. "I assume since you missed the first class, you at least went over the reader?"

Wally shook his head.

"... the safety guidelines?"

Wally looked at the corner of the ceiling.

"... the syllabus?"

Wally just didn't even bother looking anywhere.

Roy sighed. "I know this is just an extracurricular unit, but it's not easy, not safe, and it's not a game."

Wally pouted, embarrassed. "Look, uh, R- , er, Mr. Harper? I uh, think we got off to a - I mean, just tell me what I have to do to pass the class and I'll do it, ok?"

Roy pulled a beaten copy of the class reader out of a nearby locker.

"Spend the rest of the hour reviewing and reading the manual. I'm letting this one slide, West."

Wally trailed after Roy as he headed back to the range.

"Put that back when you're done!" He called without looking over his shoulder. "And there's a written test next week!"

Wally groaned and slid down the trunk of the nearest tree until he was cradling the handbook in his lap. Embarrassed, he slouched down and hid behind the reader so that he couldn't see the students glance curiously over at him.

_Great_. The grass was still wet and now so were his shorts.

* * *

><p>The hour crawled by, frankly, as the runner tried to process the different types of arrows, stances, how to tune bows ... Wally kept spacing out and staring at the students seemingly effortlessly arching. They weren't perfect or anything, but their forearms weren't bright red with friction burns and at least some of their arrows landed on the targets.<p>

Roy wandered from student to student, gently - almost clinically - adjusting their stances with the tap of a toe on a foot, or a brush on an arm to angle it farther down. Wally thumbed through the handout and recognized a couple of the different drawing forms: Roy showed one boy how to draw low, placing his hand at the level of his chin, but later he worked with the blonde haired girl in green on a higher draw.

It went without saying that the blonde hit all her shots; only one or two even went out of the black bullseye. Roy nodded approvingly and clapped her on the shoulder. Wally wasn't sure, but he thought he even caught a smile from the archer in shades. The girl, however, definitely grinned broadly, shaking off his hand and kind of hitting him teasingly in the arm.

Wally frowned. _Suck up_.

He waited for Roy to be busy chatting with a small line of students after the class before slinking over to the shed to return the manual. When he got there, the girl in green was rearranging equipment left behind by the students who had had booked it. He quietly slipped behind her, trying to sneak the reader back into the drawer.

"Hey," she said, not taking her eyes off her work. Wally froze.

"Aren't you that hot shot track star?"

Wally grinned to himself. _Huh. _Maybe this day wasn't as horrible as he thought.

He spun around with his most charming smile. "That I am. My reputation precedes me?"

The girl snorted. "No. That just explains why you have the draw of a fifth grader. Don't they ever make you cross train, twinkle toes?"

Wally's eyes narrowed. "What of it?"

"Nothing," she snickered. "You might want to lift something heavier than a candy bar occasionally, though."

Wally grimaced, and as he looked down, he noticed her t-shirt for the first time. A light green arrow pointed at her face with the slogan: _Eyes Up Here, Nerd_.

_That explains a lot_. He snorted. _Not that there was anything much to check out there in the first place._

Well, not that he hadn't checked out already. Without noticing the shirt the first time.

But ... he did all the help he could get in the class. Wally slid the drawer shut and swallowed his pride.

"So, what's a guy gotta do around here to pass this class, anyway?"

The blond raised her eyebrows. "Almost nothing, frankly."

"But that instructor's got kind of a bug up his butt -"

"Roy? That's just Roy," she laughed, as she finished tuning one of the bows. "On the inside, he's just a big ol' softie," she drawled.

Wally cocked an eyebrow and crossed his arms. "Oh yeah? What do you know about it? Dating or something? Seemed pretty chummy out there."

Her smiled faded. "Pfft. That's not going to happen." Her collapsible compound bow snapped shut with a clack.

"Well, what happened to the real teacher?" Wally grumbled.

The archer narrowed her eyes. "Professor Queen is on _sabbatical_. He gave Roy the job because he just graduated. Ollie's practically Roy's dad."

Wally snorted.

"... and Roy's_ the best there is_." Her tone was dangerous now.

"Anyway, West," she continued, "Roy's got his shit together. Just get yours together, too, and you'll probably pass the class. Show up to the rest of the classes, pass the written portion, and hit the target ten times - "

As she'd rattled away, Wally's gaze had gradually drifted back to the tall, built redhead patiently demonstrating different stances. The girl casually brushed her hair over her shoulder as she followed his eyes, and then grinned mischievously before turning back and snapping her fingers to bring Wally down to Earth.

"And if you try weawwy, weawwy hard, wittle twack staw -" She made mock puppy dog eyes at him. "- maybe you'll even get his respect."

Her bag fell over her shoulder as she started to head out the door.

"Good luck with that," she chuckled as she walked away.

Wally frowned at her receding form and dropped her arms.

He took off straight for the track.

* * *

><p>One foot in front of another. Even, rhythmic breathing; it never broke; it didn't change; two in, one out. One path, no patience, no adjustments, just go and go.<p>

Wally loved it. Constant movement, no holding back, just himself and his feet and the track. He was the best; he could do anything, he could do it right, he could do it right away. His mind let go, the automatic movements were almost meditative.

Mile two. Mile three - at a casual twenty-four minutes - he rounded the inner lane and a stray rock tripped him up; he caught himself but lost his stride. _Dammit_.

He thought back to the blonde's laughter; Roy's unimpressed look. He was here on a _track scholarship_ and the Wayne Science Scholarship. He didn't need _that_.

He didn't need … a challenge.

_Shit_.

* * *

><p>Wally was on his second plate of early morning spaghetti when Dick stumbled into the dining hall, shades on and designer hoodie hanging over his shoulders. On his way over to Wally with a bowl of cereal, hard boiled egg, fruit, and an orange juice, the gymnast chatted with at least three different girls, all of them tittering in his ear and clinging to the hem of his shirt.<p>

Wally snickered. And people call _him _the flirt.

The gymnast and computer science major finally collapsed next to him with an exaggerated sigh, rubbing his eyes behind his glasses. Wally laughed.

"Dude, where did you end up last night? You're not _drunk_, are you?" Wally asked, half joking. Dick drank, but he didn't really do the "drunk" thing.

"Naw, I was over at … some girl's. She went to Gotham Academy's sister school. Knows Babs and Donna."

"Oh really?"

"Yeah, we kinda swapped stories."

Wally had grown up in Central City in Kansas, but his uncle worked with Wayne Tech. Sophomore year of high school, he had gotten Wally transferred on a Bruce Wayne Scholarship to the elite private school Gotham Academy. Dick was Wayne's adopted son, and they'd become fast friends. Five years later, they were still best friends, and the WayneSscholarship - as well as Dick and Wally's athletics - carried them through college at Gotham University.

"… some girl?"

Dick almost looked sheepish for a second. "I uh … she was gone when I woke up. Her name was something like Arty? That seems right."

"And you swapped 'stories,' right. Man, I hate to say it, since I owe the guy my free ride, but Brucie's a bad role-model, Dick."

"You don't owe him anything. He didn't influence the board in the scholarship selection, Wally."

Dick changed the subject. "What's that?" he asked, gesturing to the white, spiral-bound reader, still shrink-wrapped, next to a pair of 15 pound weights at Wally's feet.

"Oh, that? That's just for my archery class," Wally said.

"Archery? Why archery?"

"I dunno. I needed to fill my credit hours, or I'd forfeit my scholarship this quarter. It fit my track schedule. It looked easy." Wally shrugged took another bite of his burger. "But I probably won't even pass now - and I almost missed it this morning again because of your little tryst, dude."

Dick's eyes narrowed. "You know, I'm not supposed to be your alarm clock, Wally."

"But you haven't failed me for almost four years," the redhead whined jokingly.

"... and it wasn't a _tryst_. I don't sleep with anyone at the drop of a hat. We just talked."

Wally snorted. "Oh, I know _exactly _who you'll sleep with -"

"... oh do you?"

"- and that's anything with a pink pair of lips and a soft pair of -"

Dick elbowed him in the chest. "You should talk. And drop it."

"_Ow_. Drop what?"

"_Drop the class_." Dick unwrapped another hard boiled egg. "It's not required, right? If you're not going to pass, I'll hack you permission for a last minute b.s. independent study or something for a couple of units."

"Oh." Wally chewed thoughtfully on his last meatball. "Uh …"

_I should probably just do that._

"Nah. It's … it's ok. I'll probably make it. It's only pass/fail." Wally stood up. "Thanks though. I have to catch my Quant Physics class though before I fail that, too."

"Ok," Dick shrugged. "Your funeral."

Wally awkwardly gathered his weights, handbook, and the remnants of the meal and stumbled toward the exit.

"Catch you later, Richie-Rich!" he yelled, sing-song, over his shoulder at his roommate as he dropped his tray by the trash and loped out the door.

* * *

><p>The next couple of days before his archery class were uneventful; he poked at the book, and kind of played with the weights. He was supposed to cross train for track anyway - and he did - but it was phenomenally boring, and well, he didn't really <em>need <em>to for whatever reason. His natural talent for speed carried him through half-assed training.

But apparently you can't half-ass archery.

Wally was on time for the next class, dressed - this time - in totally normal cargo shorts and a green polo. He pulled out his bow and some of the 25" arrows and headed back toward the target.

_Ok, how did it go again? _

_Um, square stance for beginners, that's me, I guess_ - he lined his feet up side by side - _and, uh, nock the arrow - check - and raise the arm with the elbow high to pull at chin level_-

_OW._

The string slipped from his fingers too early and snapped along his forearm again. Artemis laughed beside him.

"Well, five feet's better than three, Ronald McDonald."

"Shut up," Wally mumbled.

As Wally bent over to grab his next arrow, Roy swung by.

"Here," he said. "Let me show you."

Wally handed over this bow, and Roy took his place at the target.

"This is the basic stance." He placed his feet evenly at about shoulder width apart. "Nock your bow, odd feather out, hook both knuckles, draw elbow up and back down, index finger just under your chin. Relax, breathe - extend a little more - aim, release, and relax through the follow through."

The arrow flew across the field and hit dead center on the bullseye. Roy glanced over at Wally.

"I'll do it again, ok?"

He did it three more times, each more perfect than the last; each arrow landing inches from the others. Wally started to flush as Roy let the last one go; he made it look _beautiful_. The blonde was smiling shyly herself in admiration.

"Mr. Harper!" One of the other students was whining down the line. Roy passed Wally his bow and started to jog backwards to the kid.

"I'll be back to check up on you!" He waved at the blonde. "And good job, Artemis. Keep it up."

"... ok," Wally stared.

He turned toward his target, trying to remember all the points that Roy had made, but his head felt a little fuzzy. He went through the steps he could, and the arrow landed at the foot of the target.

"Oooh, improving," the Artemis drawled. "If you were paying closer attention, maybe you'd have actually hit the target."

"What are you talking about?"

She grinned. "... nothing."

Wally frowned and shot again. Nothing but grass.

_Dammit_.

Class time ran out before Roy got a chance to come over and check on him.

_Well, I can figure it out on my own_.

* * *

><p>Late that afternoon, the archery field was abandoned when Wally ran his ID card through the equipment hut lock and grabbed his stuff. In front of target #3, he dropped the reader at his feet, holding it open to the section on stances with an arrow pressed across its pages. He squinted as he tried to read the instructions by his shoes.<p>

_Even stance - nock - draw - anchor - aim - release_-

The arrow landed past the target. One more time: the arrow flew off to the side, but it was a lot closer, and the string didn't hit his forearm as hard.

_That's an improvement, anyway.  
><em>

Four more tries, and Wally's arrow finally grazed the outer rim of the target.

"Yes!" he murmured to himself.

He heard a soft jangling behind him, and Wally spun around, embarrassed. Roy was placing his equipment on the ground next to the nearest tree.

"Not terrible, West."

"Er, uhm, Mr. Harper!" he stammered. Wally felt stupid calling him that - the guy was clearly only a couple of years older than him, but - "I didn't think you'd -"

Roy smirked a little. "I'm almost always out here. Good stress relief." Roy uncrossed his arms. "Your arm keeps getting snapped because you have clearance trouble. _And_ because you're _still _not wearing an arm guard. Come get one at the hut."

At the equiment locker, Roy gently took Wally's wrist to size him. His raw forearm tingled as Roy brushed his fingers over it, and Wally shivered a little under his touch. The taller man frowned and retreated to his locker, pulling out a little bottle of lotion for him.

"Here, put some of this on," he said, tossing it to Wally.

The runner felt strangely self-conscious as he applied it; he found himself staring at his instructor's chiseled form as the redhead dug through the various bracers and guards for one Wally's size. Roy finally turned back, and everything seemed suddenly unnaturally quiet: Wally was aware of every brush of cloth against cloth as the taller redhead carefully wrapped the bracer around his arm.

"... then just tuck this around here and …"

Wally was barely paying attention because he realized that Roy wasn't wearing his shades. And his eyes were bright blue.

".. make sure this tie is snug -" Roy stopped mid-sentence and tilted his head at Wally, who was staring off into space. "You all there, West?"

Wally shook his head. "Yeah, yeah. I'm here."

"Good." He patted Wally's brace and almost smiled. "Let's go."

Back at the target, Wally self-consciously arranged his feet.

"Ok," Roy corrected. "You have a little trouble with clearance, so make your stance a little more open - step forward - a little more, and a little wider - that's too much -" Roy gently tapped on the inside of Wally's ankle to guide his foot into the right position.

"Good. Now let's see you draw."

Wally swallowed and pulled back -

"- ah, stop right there." Roy pushed up on Wally's drawing elbow. "Not high enough. Your upper arm should be almost vertical at this point."

Wally adjusted and continued.

"- shoulder down -" He brushed against Wally's shoulder. "This is really important because in an open stance, you'll tend to use your arm muscles instead of your back muscles to draw."

Wally was starting to feel unnaturally warm. Roy was incredibly _close_. He could almost feel his breath against the back of his neck, and if he just leaned back a couple of inches …

"Bring your index finger to here," Roy had moved around Wally's other side and held a finger by his chin until Wally's index finger just touched it. "And extend just a little farther."

"Ok, that looks pretty good." Roy leaned over just a little to look him in the eye. "Now hold this a second, and just try to remember exactly how it feels. Ideally, you'll want to rely on your body memory to get in this exact position every single time."

Wally's arm was shaking now. Was he nervous or tired? His face was flushed, and he kept glancing back and forth between the target and Roy's startling blue eyes.

Roy noticed his trembling bicep and grinned. "Don't hurt yourself, West. Relax and try again."

Wally let out a breath he hadn't noticed he'd been holding. His white knuckled grip relaxed as he pointed the arrow to the ground and tried again. Up and back in one smooth motion …

"Don't try so hard." Wally could almost feel Roy grinning behind him. "And _breathe_. But in this stance, the most important thing is to get your scapula in the right positi -"

Roy clinically cupped his hand just under Wally's scapula and - _snap _- the arrow flew. Roy jumped and chuckled.

"Sorry, didn't mean to make you jump the gun there."

"Yeah, oops," Wally grinned and looked at the ground.

Roy regarded the arrow that was off to the left of target. "Not that you were really aiming when you shot that, but have you checked for your dominant eye?"

"Hmm?"

"Here," Roy leaned over him from behind and held up a finger in front of Wally's eyes. "Look at the tip of my finger. Is it over the target?"

_So close so close _so close__. Wally could smell his aftershave. He nodded numbly.

"Now close your left eye. Is it still over the target?"

"Uh. No. Should it be?"

Roy grinned. "No problem. Do it with your right eye. Still over the target?"

"Yeah …"

Roy snorted. "Well, that will help. You're using the wrong eye. Just spin around, and we'll switch arms …"

Without thinking, Wally spun before Roy had time to back away. He almost faceplanted into Roy's chest and froze, staring up at the taller redhead. Roy sucked in a breath and stared back at him, startled … and kind of blushing?

Wally took in at least three shallow breaths before the older boy finally stumbled away.

"Uh. Yeah." He said. "That will help … a lot."

Wally opened his mouth to say something, but he couldn't remember what it was.

Roy cleared his throat and tried to compose himself as he backed up to his equipment. "So … keep that up on the other … side. And … I have a thing. I'll see you tomorrow, ok?"

Roy spun on his heel and headed out as calmly as he could.

Wally nodded nervously. "Thanks, er, Mr. Harper."

Roy paused and turned back. "You can call me Roy, Wally."

He started to say something, and then looked like he revised. "And don't forget the test, tomorrow, ok? Written!"

He headed off into the distance, and Wally just stared until he disappeared over the hill.


	2. Take Aim

Roy made him nervous, and Wally couldn't shake the butterflies in his stomach as he headed toward his dorm room, fishing his keys out of his bag.

"-Wal -" he heard Dick say inside. He grinned.

"The one and only -" He slipped his keys in the door and opened it. " - how'd you kno - AUGH!"

He dropped his bag and covered his eyes as Dick and some half-naked girl dived under Dick's covers. _Augh, had she been at his _waist_?_

"DUDE, why weren't your shades on the door? There's a procedure for this sort of thing!"

"Oops," apologized a flushed Dick as the girl tittered - a titter Wally recognized. He peeked out between his fingers.

"_You_," he said as Artemis's mussed blonde ponytail peeked out from the covers. "You're that girl in my archery class."

"Yeah," Dick answered, and Artemis laughed again.

"You knew?" Wally groaned at his friend. "How could you not tell me, dude?"

"Uh …" Dick faltered. "It didn't seem relevant?"

Wally wrinkled his nose in distaste. "Look," he said, stumbling backwards. "Just -" He tripped over his bag a little - "I'll go downstairs, and you come get me when you're uh … done."

Artemis was sniggering again as Dick regarded him through half-lidded eyes.

"I - I have to study anyway - so -," Wally fished his bags together with one hand and stumbled away.

"... well that was awkward." Wally heard Dick mumble as the redhead tried to gather his things into some sort of transportable arrangement outside the door.

Artemis sighed. "In more ways than one, hmm?"

"- what? I don't - shhh! It was uh - Please … don't."

"... no worries …"

Her voice faded as Wally booked it down the hall.

* * *

><p>"Ugh," Wally faceplanted onto the couch across from the RA front desk in the dorm lobby. The RA was a pretty brunette senior with bright blue eyes; she smiled at Wally. He was pretty sure she was on the swim team. <em>What was her name? It sounded like a flower<em>.

"Hard day?" she asked.

"Eh, kind of," Wally mumbled as he dug out his white archery manual. He didn't feel like studying; he lay back and covered his face with it instead. Kinda mean, but he hoped Dick wasn't too happy with Arty. Not really that interested in having her around.

As he reviewed shooting procedure, this thoughts drifted back to Roy today and … he felt distinctly uncomfortable. And even more uncomfortable when he thought he heard the archer's _voice_.

_Uhh_ …

He sat up and saw Roy coming to the dorm door with an extremely hot dark-skinned boy with bleached hair. _The captain of the swim team_. The two boys flowed through the door, chatting and laughing. Suddenly, Wally found himself on the floor, hiding behind the couch.

"Hey, Roy, Kaldur," the girl at the desk said.

"Hi, Tula," Roy answered. Kaldur just smiled.

In comparison to Kaldur, the usually reserved Roy seemed almost perky, smiling and play-fighting with the swimmer. The three older students were clearly good friends. Wally felt a weird sense of annoyance, and he couldn't quite put his finger on the source. That annoyed him more.

_Ding_.

Artemis chose that moment to walk out of the elevator. She spotted Wally on his hands and knees, peeking not-so-stealthily from around the corner of the couch.

"What the hell are you doing back here?" she snorted, strolling up behind him.

Wally popped up a little too quickly and hit his head on the overhanging arm. "_Ow_. What are _you_ doing here?"

"I came to tell you that you're _in the clear_, hot dog," she said, looking at him like he was dumb.

"Remember? Ten minutes ago?"

"_Oh_. Right."

"Anyway, what on earth were you doing on the - " She cut off and craned her head as she heard the group of older kids just out of her line of sight.

"I was, uh looking for my - uh"

"Is that Roy -?" Artemis interrupted the lying redhead as she peeked past the couch.

She turned and looked back at the stuttering boy. A strange look of confusion and disbelief flashed across her face before it dissolved into one of amusement.

"Roy," she called around the corner, waving her hand.

"What are you _doing_?" Wally hissed.

"I'm saying hi to my friend. What are _you_ doing?"

"Uh, looking for my..."

Roy leaned back from the desk to spot Arty and walked over.

"Arty," he said as he gave her a friendly half hug. "Wally." He nodded at the younger boy.

"Hey Roy," Wally replied, maybe a shade too brightly. "I'm just looking for my pencil."

Roy cocked his head with a confused expression. "Ok."

"So that I can study. For class tomorrow."

Roy grinned, and Wally's heartbeat picked up a notch. "Planning on passing after all? That's always nice."

"Yeah."

"So where are you and Kaldur off to?" Artemis asked.

"Oh uh, Kaldur and I are … and Tula," Roy added, almost as an afterthought, "We're just going to grab drinks at The Watchtower."

"Ooh, mind if I invite myself along?"

Roy narrowed his eyes. "It hasn't been your birthday yet this year, has it?"

Artemis cocked her hip and pulled out her wallet. "This driver's license says that it has," she smirked.

Roy chuckled and sighed. "Man, if Ollie knew what I let you get away with."

Roy turned to Wally and raised his eyebrows. "Twenty-one yet?"

The twenty-year-old redhead shrugged and shook his head, flushing. His last fake ID had gotten confiscated by a particularly mean RA. Too bad he didn't look like the more his diminutive brunette roommate. Dick had at least half-a-dozen IDs upstairs.

"- his roommate's sort of expecting him anyway," Artemis said with a pointed look.

"What?" Wally said, confused. "Since when does Dick keep tabs on me?"

"You're making me leave for no reason? Go talk to your roommate," Artemis said firmly.

Wally sent a strange look her way. "I … should study anyway, I guess."

"Too bad. Maybe next time," Roy shrugged.

Kaldur came up behind them and lay a hand on Roy's shoulder … and left it there. Wally frowned.

"Roy. I must get my wallet from my room. Can Tula and I meet you outside?" His voice was smooth and lilting; Wally wondered where he came from. It was beautiful.

Roy smiled brightly back at his friend and returned the gesture with a pat on the arm. "Sure, Kaldur."

The dark-skinned boy grinned and jogged off to his room as Roy turned back to Artemis. "Ready?"

"Sure thing. Bye, kid!" Artemis said.

"... wait, is that directed at me? You're not even older-"

"I'll wait for Kaldur," Tula interrupted from across the room. "See you soon!" Roy gave her a wave as he and Arty went out the door.

Wally sighed and collected his things. _Shit._ He actually _had_ lost his pen. The runner shouldered his bag and wandered over to the RA desk, where he rifled through a pencil holder on the desk. Tula raised an eyebrow.

"Hey, beautiful, mind if I … ah, borrow one of these?" Wally folded his elbows and leaned forward, flashing his most charming smile.

"Any friend of Arty's is a friend of mine," Tula nodded.

Wally snorted. "Artemis? I wouldn't be friends with that stuck-up … er, she's not my friend."

"Really?" Tula said. "Then … you're friends with Roy? That's hard to do. Congratulations."

"Er, no. I mean, I'm just in his archery class." Wally paused. "Seems like he and Arty are real good friends though ..."

"Yeah, they go way back."

"Oh, like .. brother and sister way back? I'm just sayin' cause she was up with my roommate a while ago, and if there's something he shou -" Wally was feeling strangely protective.

"Roy and Arty?" Tula busted out laughing.

Wally shuffled, not getting the joke. "Uh, pretty silly I guess, yeah."

Tula stifled her giggles. "Well, Artemis probably wouldn't mind, but the only thing straight about Roy is his arrows."

"...oh. Huh."

"Yeah, he's left quite a few girls with broken hearts in his wake," Tula grinned.

"But not …" Wally took a stab in the dark. "Kaldur?" _What am I fishing for anyway? It's none of my business._

Tula's smile became a little bittersweet. "Oh, ah, no, Roy and Kaldur aren't …"

"Tula," Kaldur's rich baritone cut in as he emerged from the hall. Smiling softly, he leaned over and planted a kiss on her cheek. "Are you ready?"

Tula leaned into the kiss and grinned.

"Sorry to steal her away," he addressed Wally. "But we are running late."

Wally shook his head. "No problem. Have fun."

Tula locked up the RA desk and slipped her arm around Kaldur's waist as they waltzed out the door. The runner waved after them and grabbed the pencil before heading up the elevator.

_No, Roy and Kaldur were definitely "not."_

* * *

><p>Wally knocked firmly on the door to his room. "Hey Dick, I'm standing out here. I'm going to get my keys now. I'm putting them in the lock …" he teased.<p>

The door swung open, and an irritated gymnast leaned into the hall. "Just come in already, idiot."

Wally grinned and tossed his bags beside his desk and grabbed a soda out of their mini-fridge. "Whatever. You weren't the one traumatized half an hour ago."

Dick loped back to his computer screen and perched on his chair, pulling his head phones over his neck.

"Wasn't I?" he laughed.

"Dude, you have to follow procedure," Wally whined. "And besides, it wasn't that so much as … Artemis? Really?"

"She's nice." Dick shrugged, half-typing away at a C++ program he was working on.

Wally snorted. "Ok, _not_ the first term to come to mind. And to see her with _you_ ..."

Dick swallowed and looked at Wally out of the corner of his eye. "Why, are you jealous or something?"

"Not _even_. I'm mean, she's hot and all, but really? I mean, kind of a suck up."

"A suck up?"

"In class. I mean, she's all buddy buddy with Roy -"

"- your archery teacher -"

"- yeah, my archery … hey how did you know that?"

Dick fidgeted, drifting back and forth in his swivel chair. "I did just … hang out with Artemis for a while."

"- anyway, he's our teacher, but not really, you know, right? He's just graduated, just a couple of years older than us, but she's all like all over him." Wally held up his hands and backpedaled. "But it's ok dude, don't worry because he's -"

"- gay?"

"- yes. _What_? How did you know _that_ already?"

Dick shrugged again, tapping a pen on his desk now as he listened impatiently. "Yeah, uhm, anyway - I kinda want to -"

"Dude," Wally prattled on, "_I_ just found out because he was downstairs -"

Dick spun away from the desk now and looked at Wally steadily. "Roy was downstairs?"

"Yeah, he asked me out for drinks - "

The gymnast was totally still now. "... your gay archery teacher asked you out for drinks?"

"Well, uh, no, not really. I mean, _kind of_, but actually Artemis had just invited herself along, and he was already going with Kaldur, and I was just there, so it would have been weird if they hadn't at least asked."

Wally threw his hands in the air. "It was too bad, too, because if that asshole RA hadn't confiscated my ID, I could have gone to The Watchtower."

Dick was frowning almost imperceptibly. "I thought you didn't like Artemis," he said carefully.

"Pfft, I don't, but …" Wally floundered, unsure of what Dick was getting at. "... The Watchtower is always cool, right? No matter the company."

"... Right." Dick spun around again and stared at his computer screen.

Wally sat on his bed, breathless. "Yeah, so you and Artemis? For real?"

Dick shook his head stiffly. "No."

"Oh." Wally frowned. "I'm sorry. I didn't screw it up, did I? Busting in like that -"

"It's ... not your fault," Dick said, not really looking away from the screen.

"I mean, I also didn't really mean what I said about her and Roy; I was just kind of exaggerating for comedic effect, you know?"

"No, it's not that. It's ok." Dick was speaking very evenly, carefully. "I'm not really into her."

He was taking too long to string words together while he clicked through different programs on his computer. "It's fine. She's fine, too."

Wally was used to Dick multi-tasking like no one else. Even when the brunette seemed like he was only half-listening to everything Wally said, he actually remembered every word, and Wally knew he had Dick's full attention. Usually. But something was off.

"You ok? You seem a little - _upset? preoccupied?_ - weird. Something on your mind?"

"What?" Dick spun around again, smiling broadly, hands up and open. "Nope!"

He stood up and stretched. "I am going to hit the gym, though, Wally. You want to come?"

Wally dug out his archery handbook. "Sorry, I gotta study for the archery exam. If I don't pass it, I don't pass the class."

Dick kind of deflated. "Yeah, ok."

He pulled together his gear and slipped on some sneakers. "I can still drop it for you if you want, you know."

"Nah, I'm cool." Wally waved him off as he as plopped down on his low-setting dorm bed.

"Then good luck with that," Dick said, smiling wanly as he stepped out the door.

* * *

><p>The test had gone fine, and Wally watched with one eye as the other students milled about after the class. He kept practicing; he still had only been able to graze the target today. It was a lot easier since he'd switched arms, but even so.<p>

The grass was crisp and seemed unusually bright in the morning sun; the dew caught every ray and reflected brilliantly across the field. The breeze was strong but pleasant, and smelled like jasmine.

Wally shrugged away all of the distractions but one as he took his open stance: the archer in red, shades on, chatting with students just across the field. And then it was like they evaporated, and Roy was right there.

"You're still not quite getting it, are you, Wally?" he said, not unkindly.

Wally flushed. He thought that he _was_; he thought that he _did_. He felt embarrassed that he still hadn't figured it out; he felt like a disappointment.

Roy was around behind him again, inches away. "Let me show you," he murmured. "Draw back for me."

Wally did as he was told: even breathing, high elbow -

"- almost Wally," Roy said, soothingly, just beyond his ear. "Just relax a little here -"

- and this is where Roy would usually tap his drawing arm to inch it into the right, but not today - today he ran his hand gently under Wally's bicep, cupping his arm and pulling it back. Wally sucked in a breath sharply.

"I'm going to have to lean in a little to see your line of sight," he continued softly; Roy's breath fell over Wally's neck, and now past his ear, and Wally could feel the heat from Roy's jaw on his own freckled cheek. He struggled to keep his breathing even, to match the steady in-out of the archer's, but he was starting to shake.

"Don't try so hard, Wally," Roy encouraged. "The line of your arm here -" He brushed his fingers lightly all the way down the underside Wally's front arm. "- is perfect."

Goosebumps trailed after his touch until Roy wrapped his index finger and thumb around Wally's wrist by the bow. "- just stay steady here," he whispered, and tucked his chin a little farther over Wally's shoulder.

Oh God, if Wally just turned his head to the left he could _kiss_ -

"And be sure to keep your core firm," Roy's other hand dropped Wally's bicep and ran, palm flat, down over Wally's abs; Roy's hand was so warm that it was almost like he wasn't wearing a shirt at all, and now his fingertips were brushing the waistband of his shorts - and he was totally about to lose control of his draw.

"OW!"

"Wake up."

Wally and his mattress, half-dragged off the supports of his low bed, were on the floor. He caught just a glimpse of his roommate in pajamas above him, stalking away and hopping back into his chair, chin braced on one propped-up knee.

"What the hell?"

"Sorry. Throwing things wasn't working," he said to his screen.

Wally glanced over at the rest of his bed and spotted a couple of comic books, a koosh ball, and four or five pens littering the part of mattress still on the supports.

"Sorry, I uh … was I …?" He tried not to sound nervous as the somewhat concerning elements of his dream came flooding back.

"It's fine."

"Uh are you sur - _crap_, what time is it? I forgot to set an alarm before I fell asleep for ...!" Wally popped up to look at the clock before popping right back down under his covers since he was … er, well, it was _morning_. Wally, swallowed, embarrassed. "... my test," he finished lamely.

"Don't worry, your inner monologue wouldn't let me forget," Dick said a little wearily, eyes on his computer screen.

"My inner monologue?" Wally squeaked.

"Well, let's just say I know how to tune your bow." Dick's ears turned a little pink as he realized how bad that sounded. "Honestly, it was mostly nonsense. Grapefruits and race cars."

"Oh. I'm really sorr - "

The brunette shook his head, adjusting his large, full coverage headphones. "It's ok. I still got work done. You better hurry and shower though, you're gonna be late."

"Yeah." Wally pulled his shampoo and a change of clothes out of the closet. "Uhm, thanks Dick. For being my alarm clock. Good thing you're such a nightowl."

Dick, still typing away, barked a dry laugh. "... anytime. Apparently."

Wally grinned. "Actually, just 6am Mondays, Wednesdays, Thurs will work for now, ... bro."

Wally juggled his stuff into one arm and held out a fist. The gymnast finally glanced over with a wry smile and met Wally's fist with his own.

"No worries, West. Now get going."

"See you at dinner."

Wally shut the door behind him and made his way to the showers, carefully obscuring the view of his morning wood from his friend and all the guys in their hall. He'd … have to take care of that there. Preferably without dwelling too much on the dream. As much as possible. Could his face get any redder?


	3. Let Go

_Here we go! Final part. Thank you guys, for reading! All of your kind reviews and feedback have been so helpful - I am so grateful and humbled. It's super helpful and always motivated. _

_This is the relatively safe T version of the ending, **a much more prony version can be found in a separate M chapter here**:** htt p :/ /www .fanfiction. net/ s/ 7176025/1/**_

_All the plot points and most of the dialogue are exactly the same - there's just about 1000+ words of an added sex scene if that's your style. Man, I'm already getting less shy about porms!_

_It was an adventure writing Roy/Wally, and I hope that you liked it!_

* * *

><p>The written test actually <em>did <em>go as well in reality as it had in the dream. It wasn't perfect, but when Wally handed in his paper, he felt good about it. And in the last few minutes of the class, he felt great pulling into his spot next to Artemis, bow and arrow in hand.

"Hey," he greeted her casually.

Artemis eyed him carefully. "Hey." She drew back and let go - _thwack_. "So did you talk to your roommate?"

"Yeah, sorry it didn't work out between you two. He said it wasn't me, but sorry if I made things weird -" Wally felt a twinge of guilt.

"He said it wasn't you?"

"Well, it wasn't my fault. … Right?"

Artemis sighed and muttered something under her breath. "Right."

Wally fired another arrow; it hit the edge of the target. _Awesome._

"You're not mad at me, are you?" he asked. "I mean, Dick's an awesome guy, but he's not exactly the most reliable when comes to girlfriends …"

Artemis shook her head. "No, that's ok."

Wally drew back another arrow, and Artemis concentrated on her next shot, holding her breath.

"Have you ever kissed a boy, Wally?" she asked.

Wally's arrow landed in the ground not two feet in front of him. "_What?_"

Artemis made another bullseye. "You heard me."

"What the hell did you and Dick _talk_ about?"

Artemis frowned. "Is there something _wrong_ with that?"

"_Of course_ not," Wally sputtered, "... but - it was just on a dare senior year! We were playing spin the bottle! Donna and Babs dared us!"

"Uh huh."

"And what of it? I'm _not _… uh … Dick's like, practically my brother, so it was ..."

_Right?_

"Of course." Artemis fired again and sighed. "Sorry, Colonel Mustard. It's none of my business."

"_Don't call me that_." Wally was getting loud now, and Roy wandered over.

"You two ok?" he asked.

"_Yeah_," Wally said, glaring at the blonde archer.

"Artemis, no starting fist-fights," Roy teased, clapping Wally on the shoulder. "I don't want to be taking this one to the hospital."

Artemis snickered, but Wally shrugged Roy off hard, flushing and avoiding eye contact. Roy knitted his brows.

"It's fine," Wally said.

"Ok, then," he frowned thoughtfully, glancing at Artemis. She just shrugged, too, staring at the ground.

"Good." Roy nodded his head at the two of them and walked away, waving over his shoulder.

Wally spent the rest of the class practicing in stony silence.

* * *

><p>Hours later the sun had set, but the uneasy feeling that had plagued Wally since that morning - since the dream, if he were honest with himself - still lingered. After his last period, he headed straight for the track. As he hit mile five, he heard someone climb up the steps into the bleachers.<p>

"I thought I'd find you here." Dick, shades still on in the twilight, sat down with a bottle of water and Gatorade. "When you missed dinner."

Wally skidded to a stop and hopped up the stairs, two by two, to join his friend. "Yeah."

Dick tossed the orange Gatorade to Wally as he plopped down beside him. "So what's up?" he asked.

Wally shrugged. "Nothing. How about you?"

Dick paused and stared at Wally intently. "... Arty and I are out, I guess. I was wondering if you minded if I asked out Megan?" he probed. "You seemed kind of into her."

"Huh? I guess. Not really, though. Go for it, dude," Wally said, taking a big swig of Gatorade.

"Hmm." Dick shifted uncomfortably. "So who is … she, Wally?"

"Who is who?"

Dick rolled his eyes. "You know what I mean."

Wally groaned. "Ugh, what is it with everyone and my love life lately?"

He pressed the cold drink to his forehead to alleviate a burgeoning headache.

The brunette sighed. "... right. You just … you haven't acted like this since you did before you figured out that you liked Donna."

"I don't know what you're talking about, dude. Acted like what?"

"I dunno. Just … skittery and weird."

Wally frowned and sipped on his drink, concentrating on _not_ pinning down what Dick was getting at.

"... it's funny," Dick continued - the runner only half heard his friend rambling on, "I guess I always thought - hoped - if you ever … felt like ... it would be for … uh."

Dick stood up suddenly, snapping Wally out of his reverie. The shorter teen put his hands on Wally's shoulders, looking him in the eye. "I just want you to know, that you can … if you have something going on, you can tell me."

His shades slipped down his nose a bit, revealing crystal-blue eyes, the color of the early morning sky.

All Wally could think was that they weren't as a nice as Roy's, blue like the deepest part of the ocean.

His throat went dry.

"Dick," he said hoarsely. "I think I'm going to have to call in that favor."

The acrobat closed his eyes and smiled weakly. He nodded. "Yeah, ok. Sure."

Wally grabbed his bottle of Gatorade and headed down the steps. "I'll … see you later, ok?" he called over his shoulder.

Dick waved bye. As the runner took off past the bleachers, thought he might have heard a soft 'dammit' behind him, but he wasn't sure. He did hear Dick flip open his phone.

"Hi, Kory?" the brunette said, "It was nice to see you at Gar's party -"

Wally frowned but shook his head as Dick's voice faded into the distance. _Dick and girls_, he reassured himself, grinning.

* * *

><p>Wally was out of breath when he reached the archery field. At first, it looked empty in the twilight, and the redhead swore under his breath.<p>

But no, there was Roy, bending down just behind the curve of the hill, laying out some arrows in front of him. Wally hung back, watching the archer as he stood up and prepared a shot. He wore a shirt with no sleeves: red over his chest, with black markings on his shoulders that met at a point above his abs and blended down into a pair of black cargo pants. His biceps rippled as he drew back, his chest rising and falling under the black quiver strap that stretched from shoulder to shoulder.

He was totally still for a millisecond, almost frozen in time before his fingers finally snapped, and the arrow flew toward the center of the target. It was perfect. Wally crept quietly forward, not wanting to disturb the hypnotizing sight until he absolutely had to.

Finally, Roy said, not turning toward the boy or even taking his eyes off his aim, "What's up, Wally?"

Release - _thwack _- bullseye.

He turned to the shorter boy with a small smile.

"I quit the class, Roy," Wally said, still walking closer.

Roy raised his eyebrows. "Really? Why? I already graded your test and -" He pulled another arrow from his quiver and looked down to set it. "- while you won't be fixing any equipment any time soon, you did fin -"

When he looked up, Wally was barely a half-a-foot away.

"- nah-" Roy drew in a breath.

"I quit the class," Wally said breathlessly, leaning in slowly and turning bright red, "because in a minute, I'm either not going to be able to face you again, or it will be kind of uneth -"

But he didn't finish his sentence because he'd cupped Roy's jaw and brushed his lips against the startled archer's mouth.

Roy dropped his arrow and froze for a moment.

Wally backed off, blushing. "Uhm."

The instructor blinked twice, staring at the shorter boy - before catching the back of Wally's neck and bending down into a much, much deeper kiss.

Wally's heart stuttered. Roy was _new _in every way: Wally had never tilted his head back to kiss anyone before, and other hands were usually wrapped up around his neck, not sliding down his back and pressing him tightly against a torso that was all angles and structure. Roy's mouth, his lips, bigger than his own; his tongue was larger and more forceful when it pushed past Wally's teeth; hot and hard and _thrilling_.

Roy was _thrilling _like no one else had ever been.

He drew himself up onto the tiptoes of his running shoes, his own hands reaching up around the taller man's neck, locking behind his head, fingers in his short, soft hair. Roy still awkwardly clutched his bow in his left hand, but that didn't stop him from tightening his grip around Wally's waist. Wally ran his tongue over Roy's chapped lips; breath hitching as the archer's tongue caught Wally's and rolled over it. The kiss turned a little frantic, wet and sloppy, until Roy finally drew back with a deep inhale and looked intently into Wally's bright-green, shining, open eyes.

Wally gazed back into Roy's careful, curious stare, and he was pretty sure that the tiny crinkle at the corners of his eyes and the small, wry twist of his lips meant Roy was happy. But he didn't care that he couldn't be sure; he wanted to spend _hours_ studying Roy, learning what every subtle shift in his expression meant, to know it better than anyone else ever could. He needed a challenge.

"So ..." started Wally, still panting.

"That was unexpected."

"... Yeah," Wally agreed, grinning.

Roy couldn't help but smile back slightly. "You, ah, want to get out of here?"

"Yeah."

"There's a coffee shop that's still open on campus. Let me just put away my equipment."

Wally bent down to grab some of the arrows that Roy had laid out. They walked back to the hut in silence; normally, empty space in conversation made the talkative Wally uneasy, but this was comfortable as he fell into stride next to Roy.

They got to the door, and Wally kept staring out of the corner of his eye; Roy seemed uncharacteristically rushed as they went inside. Roy plucked the arrows from Wally's hands, and the runner leaned casually on the lockers, arms crossed, watching Roy efficiently toss them in their bins. The door of his locker slammed open as he stripped off his quiver and folded his bow. As he began to take off his arm guard, Wally interrupted him with a hand on his forearm.

"Let me see if I remember how to take that off ..." he murmured, reaching around to unwrap the ties. The freckle-faced redhead carefully and methodically unwound them, fingertips never breaking contact with Roy's skin, brushing gingerly over his pale skin and caressing the sensitive red marks left by the straps.

"Is this right?" he asked, glancing up at Roy, but his former teacher was staring straight into his eyes with a glazed look.

Wally smiled wryly. "I hope that's a yes?"

"God, Wall -"

Roy pushed Wally back against the lockers and crashed his lips against the redhead. Wally leaned into the kiss as Roy's hands slid down Wally's sides and over his ass, cupping the tight globes, bringing Wally's hips flush with his own.

He ran his lips down Wally's neck in a single, firm stroke, leaving a trail of warmth and wetness before planting an exploratory nip just above the collar of another marathon t-shirt. Wally groaned and bucked his hips against Roy's, as he ran his own tongue along the top of the archer's ear.

Humming with pleasure against Wally's Adam's apple, Roy let his fingers wander around the front of Wally's hips, slipping his thumbs just under the waistband of his blue and silver Gotham Knights track shorts, tracing the deep lines of Wally's hipbones. Roy slipped a knee between Wally's legs, and the runner ground wantonly against it.

"_Yes,_" Wally hissed under his breath, squirming and fisting Roy's hair with both hands. "Oh, _u-hn_, don't stop, Roy," he whispered.

Roy smirked a little: "Oh yeah?"

Wally shut his eyes and nodded vehemently. Roy slowly brought his thumbs together, hands and fingers flat and splayed over the younger boy's hips. The thumbs met over the center of his shorts and stayed there, circling, teasing.

"You _really_ don't want me to, huh?"

Wally just gasped and pressed harder against Roy's calloused hands, the texture so exciting; he could feel the throb of his pulse under Roy's wandering fingers.

"... What were we saying about getting out of here?" Roy whispered with a wicked grin. "Do you still want to go out to that coffee shop?"

"Definitely, but ..." Wally paused, catching his breath and trying to re-orient himself; he was still sweating from his half-hour run. "I'm kind of a mess? Can I go home to take a shower?"

The taller man grinned. "Well, my place is on the way. You could always catch a shower at my place before we go."

Wally cocked an eyebrow. "Sure. But you'll have to show me ... uh ... how to work the water," he struggled to find an appropriate double entendre, " ... and stuff."

Roy threw his head back and laughed, and the sound sent delicious shivers down Wally's spine.

"Of course." He leaned in and caught Wally's emerald eyes. "There's all sorts of assistance I can provide."

Wally couldn't help but shiver again as a smile wound its way across his face.

Roy handed him his shorts. "I can lend you some clothes, too."

"Great," Wally said appreciatively. He pulled on his shorts, and after Roy cleaned up around the hut; he draped his arm over the shorter student, and they headed out the door.

"So," Wally cleared his throat as they wandered down the hill. "Now that I've quit the class, how does your schedule look for private lessons?"

"I think I can pencil you in …" Roy mused with a wicked grin. "But only on the condition you call me Mr. Harper again."

"What, _really_?" Wally asked. "Roleplay already?"

"It's not roleplay if it's true, West."

Wally snickered and danced in front of Roy, hands clasped beneath his chin. "Oh, Mr. Harper, oh, _oh_, won't you tune my bow?"

Roy laughed and pulled Wally back around his waist. "Not a problem, Wally. Not a problem at all."

And they disappeared over the horizon, into the soft light of sunset.


	4. A Very Merry Christmas Special Part 1

**Universe**: Young Justice College AU  
><strong>CharactersPairings**: Roy/Wally  
><strong>Rating<strong>: K+  
><strong>Genre<strong>: Romance/Fluff  
><strong>Summary<strong>: It's Wally and Roy's first Christmas together, but Roy has something he's not quite ready to give.  
><strong>Notes<strong>: Unexpected continuation of _Straight Shooter_ at lotsapancakes's behest. In fact, there is so much Gimmy in the plot points that I really need to give her credit as well. No one dies! This makes me happy.

**_For GRIM LULLABY for Xmas bby. You're so beautiful._**

* * *

><p><em>Welcome to the first day of xmas break, dork.<em>

Wally's phone beeped at him as clicked past Artemis's text and opened the picture text from Dick:

_Having fun at Jeni's Ice Cream. U wish u were here. ~~[heart]_

It came with a snapshot of the gymnast and a certain blonde archer grinning up into camera phone over gourmet ice cream in the freezing Gotham snow.

The college junior leaned back in Roy's desk chair and snorted.

A broad hand grabbed the wooden back of his chair and titled him back farther; Wally flailed for a second before he steadied against a very well-developed bicep. Roy's breath was warm and the smell of his aftershave sweet as he leaned over his boyfriend's shoulder.

"Did he really sign that with a heart?" the archer laughed, grinning lightly against Wally's freckled cheek. "I don't have anything to worry about, do I?"

Wally snorted again, turning his lips into Roy's neck.

"… don't be an idiot," he murmured into the redhead's Adam's Apple.

"Oh?" Roy cocked an eyebrow.

The junior was flailing once more as the chair suddenly hung in mid-air.

"I guess I'm in trouble, then," the older boy continued, a wry smile winding its way across his cheeks as he twisted up a grey shirt in his hands. "Because I hear that idiocy is sexually transmitted."

Wally barked a short laugh as Roy snapped him in the side with the t-shirt, and the freckle-faced ginger finally righted himself. The taller redhead turned back to his suitcase and folded the shirt properly, with crisp movements, before placing it neatly on top of the rest of the clothes.

As he heard the zipper slide closed with finality behind him, Wally absentmindedly ran his fingers over the boarding passes for their two plane rides home.

_Separate _plane rides.

One to Star City, the other to Central. He frowned a little, and Roy came up behind him and tugged the paper out from under his hands.

"Your pout is pretty, but it's really not necessary," he said half-jokingly, and a placating note slipped into his voice. "I'll see you for New Year's at your parent's place, right?"

"Yeah," Wally sighed and turned around, hooking one arm over his chair to stare at his boyfriend of three months, who had returned to packing up his laptop.

"I uh …so your mom and dad really still don't know? I mean, hasn't it been a while ...?"

The words "since you came out" hung in the air unsaid.

The archer paused, standing a little stiffly over the laptop. "No, they don't know."

"That sucks," Wally scowled. "I mean, don't you have to eventua -"

Roy interrupted him with a sharp exhale. "It's a non-issue, Wally. Just … just let it lie."

Wally's stomach twisted, like it always did when Roy shut down, or Wally felt like … like he was hiding something. "I …" he protested.

Dropping his bag, Roy took Wally's free hand in his own and bent down to look him in the face. "Hey, you, be glad you could tell your parents, okay? I'm really looking forward to meeting them."

He leaned in, lips brushing the ridge of Wally's ear. "And I promise you the New Year's kiss of a _lifetime_."

Wally shivered and growled, "Don't … don't think you can distract me, Harper."

Roy laughed again and pulled the runner to his feet. "Yeah, well, time to go."

He tossed Wally his sloppily stuffed duffle bag and headed toward the door before spotting something he'd hidden by the coat rack.

"Oh, hey, I almost forgot." Roy rustled through the plastic bag and pulled out a small, soft package a little larger than his hands, wrapped in silver snowflake paper.

"Ohhh, _yes_!" Wally grinned and let his duffle slide carelessly to the floor as he leapt for the gift. "I'm sorry; your present is still at my parents' house – I was going to give it to you at New –"

"Don't worry about it."

The present squished beneath the runner's hands – no sound when he shook it by his ear. "What is it? Dude, did you get me a stuffed animal or something?"

"No, I think you're hovering somewhere around age twelve, not four."

Wally tore into the paper gleefully – to pull out a package of socks.

"…"

Roy tilted his head. "What?"

"Socks? Really?" Wally cocked an eyebrow. "Are you my grandmother?"

"They're running socks. They're really good. I researched them," Roy huffed. "Just … keep going."

Wally turned the socks over to find a tiny gift card. "Ooo," he cooed as he pulled it out of the package.

It was to McDonald's.

"See? That's the romantic part," explained Roy unhelpfully.

The younger boy's mouth fell open.

"Because …" Roy frowned. "I mean, if you don't _remember _how you were dressed the first time you came to class then …"

Wally bust out laughing. "I'm sorry, I just … wow, you're kind of bad at this," he snickered, but he pulled the flustered grad student into a hug. "The gift card is pretty relevant, I guess."

Roy grumpily brushed Wally away and grabbed his bags. "Yeah, well, come on. At this rate we're both missing our planes, and I am not getting stuck in this hell-hole of a city for another ten days."

The archer turned on his heel and started down the hallway. Wally jogged to catch-up: "Aw, I'm sorry. Of course I like them. Thank you. You're not mad are you?"

"… it's fine," Roy sighed, shaking his a little in amusement. "I'm not much of Christmas guy, anyway."

"Well, I mean, of course it's the thought that counts – but I'm still giving you gift-giving lessons, dude."

"Duly noted," said Roy and then added as an after-thought: "... Ronald McDonald."

That earned him the lovely gift of a punch in the arm.

~oOo~

A gust of wind blew into the West's Central City home as Wally stepped in from his morning training session, and the front door slammed behind him.

"Wally, is that you?" Mary West shouted from the living room where she perched over the family evergreen.

"Yeah, Mom."

"I made you some oatmeal in the kitchen." A small smack as a plastic Christmas ornament hit the floor beneath the tree. "Aw, darn it," cursed his mom. "And put on some sweats after your run, you'll catch a cold."

"I'm faster than a cold, Mom," Wally whined, but the redhead pulled on a set of sweat pants as he finished up cool down stretches and headed toward the cozy, bright kitchen.

"And so help me, Wallace, if you're tracking slush in onto the new rug …"

"Uh … no?" Wally gingerly walked backwards to the foyer, where he – quite belatedly – slid off his muddy running shoes. Mary tutted under her breath and gave her son the side-eye as he slunk past.

"What?" Wally feigned innocence. Mary sighed.

"Well, hurry up and enjoy your breakfast, because Coach Allen and Aunt Iris will be coming by and then we're meeting Grandpa Jay in a few hours, and I'm nowhere near done with this tree."

"Sure thing," Wally called over his shoulder, grinning as he dished out a bowl of fresh cut oats, drenched it in maple syrup and covered it in strawberries. He wolfed down the breakfast with one hand and scrolled through his text messages from last night.

Roy: _home safe?_

Wally:_ yeah. my mom wants to send your family something for xmas tho like a fruit basket_

Roy: _not necessary_

Wally: _i told her it might be weird so she was like wondering if maybe from a student to a teacher would be ok_

Roy: _really its not a big deal_

Wally: _plz? sorry my familys sort of xmas crazy_

Roy: _ok_

Wally: _I know youre not that into xmas ..._

Roy: _ok just go ahead_

Wally: _cool. what kinds of fruit does your parents like?_

Wally frowned. He'd sent the last one at 8 o'clock the night before.

No reply.

"Mom, I have to go do something, I'll be right back," Wally said as his dishes clattered into the sink.

"Go take a shower while you're at it, dear."

"Yeah, geeze, I'm not eight."

Ten minutes later Wally shed his towel and pulled up to his laptop: _Harry and David's Fine Baskets: Order by noon EST for delivery by December 25th._

_Hmm. Nick of time._

Wally clicked on a middling gift with chocolates, caramel corn, and pears as he pulled out a credit card, but he paused on the next page.

He didn't know Roy's address.

_How can I not know Roy's address?_

Wally had to get this in within the next couple of hours, and there was no way Roy would be up by 9 am his time. The archer could get up at five am every weekday without batting an eye, but weekends? Noon to one if he was lucky.

Wally tried anyway:

_hey roy can i get your addy_

The runner pressed send and then his fingers hovered over Dick's name. He should be able to access school files without an issue.

_… but I don't know Roy's _address_. Won't that seem weird?_

Somehow, admitting to Dick that maybe everything was – _maybe, maybe, maybe_ - not all sunshine and rainbows seemed like not the greatest of ideas.

_Dammit._

Wally went back to his laptop and flicked through his email, looking for anything that may help.

_Maybe he sent it, and I just missed it?_

"Roy" brought up nothing about an address, but of course it returned other several hits, including one from Oliver Queen.

Wally had met the retired-business-mogul-turned-economics-professor once or twice since he returned from his sabbatical. Professor Queen treated Roy like a son, and he was really pretty cool, even though Wally usually felt out of place at the fancy lawn parties or whatever they were.

_Maybe it wouldn't be weird to ask him?_

Wally sucked in a breath and copied the man's email address. Desperate times.

Professor Queen,

This is Wally West, Roy's -

_Friend? Boyfriend?_

Wally was pretty sure that Oliver knew that Roy was gay, but he wasn't sure if Roy had explicitly said they were dating. Wally frowned. This was more complicated than he expected.

_Just dodge it._

- Roy introduced us a couple of weeks ago at a faculty reception at your house. I'm writing because my family would like to send his parents a gift basket but I think I -

Wally paused again. _Uh …_

- lost his address. I kinda need it by noon if you can and I don't think Roy's awake over there. Do you have his address in Star City?

Happy Holidays,

Wally

The runner hit the send button and stared at his phone for a second, waiting for a magical text from Roy.

Nothing.

He sighed and clicked his way back to the gift site, mouse hovering over the shopping cart page for a minute. An uncomfortable feeling draped over the runner like a heavy, damp blanket, and he shifted a little. But he still changed the recipient address for the gift to his own house and the "from" tag to say "Roy Harper."

The redhead pushed aside a twinge of guilt. It was just that he didn't have time to remind Roy to get something for his parents, right?

And they were just super crazy about Christmas.

And he just … really wanted them to like Roy.

* * *

><p>One mostly decorated Christmas tree later, the doorbell rang.<p>

"Barry, Iris, so good to see you," Mary threw her arms around her husband's sister as she and Barry shed their coats at the front door.

"Merry Christmas Eve, Mary," Iris cooed. Barry stomped the snow from his boots and ruffled Wally's hair before drawing him into a bear hug.

"How's my star pupil?"

"I'm good, Coach," Wally said, smiling.

"Hard to believe you're all grown up."

Mary gave a short laugh. "Not too grown up. We're still gonna need your two extra inches, Barry, to get that star on the tree."

"Mom," Wally groaned. "I'm taller than Dad."

"And thank goodness for that," Mary teased.

Rudy shook his head as he shook his brother-in-law's hand. "Well, she's the one that married me," he grinned.

Iris drew wally in for a hug as well. "And don't worry Wally; what you lack in height you sure make up for in stride, right?"

"Sure."

Mary settled Iris and Barry's coats on the rack. "Alright everyone, into the living room you go. Rudy, come help me bring out the eggnog."

"Yeees, dear."

"Oh don't say it like that." She playfully nudged Rudy, and their voices faded away as they disappeared into the kitchen.

Iris and Wally leaned back into the West's plush flower print couch while Barry rooted around the battered ornament box painted with snow. "Let's see what we can do about that star."

"So how've you been?" Iris patted her nephew on one sweatpants clad knee. "How's school?"

"I'm good," Wally supplied. "Passed all my classes; track's good."

"Mhmmm," his aunt let her hum fade into an expectant pause. "And ...?"

"And, uh, what?" Wally felt his ears heat up.

"We hear you have a special someone in your life now?" Barry asked over his shoulder as he stepped back to admire his handiwork on the star.

Wally's eyes widened a little. "I guess mom told you?" he squeaked.

"Yes she did," Barry smiled, "and we both want to hear all about him."

Wally felt his blush grow brighter even as he let out a tiny sigh of relief.

"Well, uh, he's an archer," he began shyly -

"Drinks are here," Rudy announced flatly, carrying a tray filled with the rich Christmas drink. "Four with plenty of rum, and one without."

He and Mary passed out the glasses, and Barry turned back to Wally with a grin. "So, go on."

Rudy slouched back in the recliner in the corner and changed the subject. "Yeah, how's Dick, anyway?"

Wally glanced at Barry, who shrugged.

"Uh, he's good, I guess. He's staying in Gotham all break. I'm pretty sure that he's dating this blonde chick."

"Aww, he didn't say?" Mary asked.

Dick was still friendly as always, but he'd gotten a little cagey since Wally started dating Roy.

"She pretty?" Rudy pressed.

" - or has he just not decided himself?" Mary shifted the subject back.

"I'm not sure, and she's okay."

Wally didn't take it too personally that Dick hadn't talked much about his love life. It was too chaotic for _anyone _to keep track of, right? He'd been pretty distracted himself.

"Just okay? So you don't like her?"

Wally rolled his eyes. "Augh, no, she's annoying."

"So no chance that -"

"_Rudy _-" Mary cut her husband off sharply. "We talked about this."

Barry and Iris shifted uncomfortably.

Wally was also pretty sure that Dick wasn't being distant because Wally had "switched teams" so to speak.

Rudy examined his eggnog. "Yeah."

Even if that _was _bothering his best friend, Wally was sure he'd come around eventually ...

"Yeah, son. Whoever makes you happiest."

... like his dad probably would, too.

"So you were saying, dear?" Mary smiled at her boy.

"Well, his name is Roy, and ..." Wally launched into the story of how they met, and all the fun they'd had in the last three months.

"That's darling, Wally," Iris grinned over her rum as he finished up. "So what about his family?"

The runner stalled. He really didn't know enough to say. He didn't even know what Roy's parents did for a _living_.

"Well … uhm..." A buzz came from his pocket. _Saved by the bell. _"Let me - I have to get this."

"Ok, hon, I'm going to check on the beef stroganoff. Why don't you get dressed for church, too, while you're up there? We can take a family picture after lunch and send it to Roy before four o'clock service." Mary patted Wally on the head as he passed by and up toward his room.

He pushed excitedly through to his message screens, but it wasn't a text from Roy. It was just an email notice. From Oliver Queen. Which was great, because it was 11:30 am, and he could still get the present out in time.

But he just wished he'd heard it from Roy.

Wally,

Roy's address is

347 Ridge Road  
>Star City, CA 91024<p>

You're sure he told you that he was in Star City at home with his parents?

Happy Holidays to you and yours,

Ollie

Wally's hands shook a little as he tapped the address into the Harry and David's site. Why had Oliver asked him that?

_Was that weird that he was home in Star City with his parents? Was he even with his parents? In Star City?_

It hit Wally that for all the time they'd spent together, Roy had rarely talked about himself.

_Did I just not notice? Did I really not _ask_?_

The runner knit his brows and tried to remember all the little details Roy'd said, but it seemed like the archer had managed to dodge a lot of questions.

_Hmm_. He should probably answer _Oliver's _question, at least.

Professor Queen,

Thank you. I think Roy went home alone because -

_Okay just be honest._

- he wasn't sure his parents would be comfortable with us. I hope that it's okay that my family sends a present. I can cancel if you think it's not.

_God. This is weird. TMI? Oh well._

Sincerely,

Wally West

"Wally! Lunch!" Rudy's voice floated up the stairs. Wally threw on some khakis and a polo and bounded down the stairs. He suddenly wasn't hungry at all.

* * *

><p>"Wally, stop playing with your food."<p>

"Sorry." The redhead tried not to sound too sullen as he pushed his mashed potatoes through his carrots on the other side of the plate.

"Not hungry?" Barry cocked an eyebrow. "Never thought I'd see the day."

"I'm fine," Wally grumbled.

"You sure you didn't spike his eggnog, Rudy?" Iris joked. "Maybe he's an angry drunk."

"I'm not," the runner pouted.

"Oh really?" Mary raised her eyebrows. "Is that so?"

Wally shot up to attention, suddenly all smiles. "Uh, probably? I mean. That's not really me, right?"

"Oh, he'll be 21 in two and a half weeks, Mary," Barry teased. "Let it go."

Mary glowered a little, and Wally shrugged sheepishly.

"Hand me your plates, Wally," Iris interrupted, "and get out to the living room so we can take that picture."

"I'm not sure that's a good idea," Wally mumbled.

"Nonsense," said Mary lightly. "Don't be shy. You're not ashamed of us, are you?"

"No, of course not," Wally said softly.

"Get in here guys!" Barry called as he put the finishing touches on the automatic camera.

Mary tugged Wally in by the hand and put him in the front of their little line up. Barry wrapped his arms around his shoulders and pressed his cheek to the freckle-faced boy's. Wally could practically feel everyone's happy grins.

Fifteen minutes and eight photos later he texted the best (well, the least _bad_) picture to Roy.

_merry xmas from my annoying family [heart]_

And five hours later after church there was still no response.

At nine, he and the rest of the family were gathered around a fireplace; Grandma and Grandpa Gardner had caught up with them after service. When his phone did finally beep at him again, it was just another email from Oliver. Wally sighed and thumbed through it, ignoring the growing feeling of dread.

_What weird thing will I learn now?_

Wally,

I've taken the liberty of booking you a flight from Central to Star City tonight. I'm sorry about the schedule, these were the only seats I could book. Tonight is a red-eye with a four hour layover in Phoenix; you arrive in Star at about 10 am. I hope that an upgrade to first class will make up for this.

_… uhm, wow._

Don't worry about his parents; just please, go visit as his friend.

Merry Holidays and all,

Ollie

_… Wow._

"Hey guys?" Wally said to the rest of the family in the living room.

"Yeah?"

"I ... need to pack."


End file.
